Method and apparatus for playing darts

ABSTRACT

Three dimensional targets are disclosed that can be added to a dart board. The target has a raised hard cover having a bottom surface and a top surface and sides linking the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein the top surface has at least one hole which forms a target area. The target also has attachment means on the bottom surface of the hard cover for attaching the raised projection to the playing surface of the dart board.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for playing new dart games, and more particularly, to three dimensional targets added to the playing surface of a dart board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The origination of darts can be traced back to medieval England. Typically, darts is played on a circular dart board which has a plurality of targets on a flat playing surface. A traditional dart board 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The dart board 10 is approximately 17¾ inches in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections 12. Each section is separated by a metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal. Each radial section 12 is designated by a numeral 1-20. Each radial section is divided into four sections: two single rings 13, a double ring 14 and a triple ring 15. The double and triple rings 14, 15 are defined by metal wires. At the center of the dart board is a circular bull 16 and a circular bullseye 17. The playing surface of the dart board is flat. Most dart boards are made of bristle or fibers which allow metal tipped darts to stick into the surface of the dart board on impact. Dart boards have also been constructed out of fabric, such as Velcro, metal and plastic. In these cases, the darts tips are usually flat and covered with Velcro, metal, magnets or rubber. In addition, there are electronic dart boards which have a playing surface of plastic pegs closely packed together and uses rubber tipped darts.

Through the years, numerous dart games have been created. In all of these games, a player throws their darts at various targets on the dart board to accumulate points or to close out targets on the board. In all of these games, the targets are selected from the 20 radial sections including the double and triple rings and the bull and bullseye. As noted above, all of these targets are flat and all located on the same plane. With time, players may become bored with their usual games because they are always throwing at the same targets. Furthermore, there is no easy way to decrease the size and shape of the targets to make the games more challenging.

Thus, there is a need for new dart games and apparatus which overcomes the problems cited above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide new dart games and apparatus to be used in these games which provide more fun and require more skill by changing the size and shape of the target areas of the dart board.

According to one aspect of the invention, a raised projection to be attached to a playing surface of a dart board is disclosed. The raised projection comprises: a raised hard cover having a bottom surface and a top surface and sides linking the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein said top surface has at least one hole; and attachment means on the bottom surface of the hard cover for attaching the raised projection to the playing surface of the dart board.

According to another aspect of the invention, a game piece to be attached to a playing surface of a dart board is disclosed. The game piece comprises: a hard frame having a substantially star shaped design with a plurality of arms and a center area, wherein the arms and the center area are comprised of a dart receiving material; at least one target attached to each arm and center area; and attachment means on said hard frame for attaching the game piece to the playing surface of the dart board.

According to another aspect of the invention, a dart board is disclosed. The dart board comprises: a body section which has a back surface and a front playing surface, wherein the body section is comprised of a dart receiving material; the back surface being substantially flat and having means for attaching the dart board to a support structure; and the front playing surface being three-dimensional and having a plurality of targets located on the front playing surface.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for playing a game on a dart board is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: attaching a star shaped game piece to the playing surface of the dart board, the game piece having a plurality of arms and a center section made out of a dart receiving material, and at least one target is located on each arm and center section; and alternating turns between a plurality of players, wherein each player attempts to hit each arm and center section with a dart a predetermined number of time.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art dart board;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a raised projection with a single target area according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a raised projection according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of a raised projection according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a raised projection according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a square shaped raised projection according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a square shaped raised projection according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a raised projection with multiple target areas according to another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of a raised projection with a hock and loop target area according to another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of a raised projection with a metal target area according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a raised projection according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a star shaped game piece according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 13 illustrates a dart board with a raised projection according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a dart board with a plurality of raised projections according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a dart board with a star shaped game piece according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a raised dart board with a convex shape according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a raised dart board with a concave shape according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a raised projection as seen from below according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 19 illustrates a raised projection as seen from above according to one embodiment of the invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one raised projection is placed or attached to the playing surface of a dart board. The goal of the new dart games described below is to hit the target area(s) on the raised projection. The specifics of the raised projections and game pieces will now be described followed by a description of some of the new dart games which can be played using the raised projection or projections.

FIG. 2 illustrates a raised projection 20 according to one embodiment of the invention. The raised projection 20 has a shape which is substantially similar to a hemisphere but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the raised projection 20 can have a shape that is substantially similar to a three-dimensional triangle, cube, cone, cylinder, star or any other three-dimensional shape. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a raised projection 20 which is shaped like a square. The raised projection 20 can have any dimensions so long as the raised projection 20 is three-dimensional. For example, the raised projection 20 can have a height ranging from ⅛^(th) to one inch and a diameter from ¼^(th) to 3 inches but the invention is not limited thereto.

The raised projection 20 has a hard cover 22 which covers a portion of the raised projection 20. The hard cover 22 can be constructed out of metal, plastic, rubber but the invention is not limited thereto. The raised projection 20 can have one target area 24 on the hard cover 22 as illustrated in FIG. 3 or a plurality of target areas 24 as illustrated in FIG. 8. The target area 24 can be a hole in the hard cover 22 or be attached to the hard cover 22. The target area 24 can have any shape and size. For example, the target area 24 may have a substantially circular shape as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a square shape as illustrated in FIG. 6, or any other shape. The dimensions of the target area 24 can range from ⅛^(th) to one inch but the invention is not limited thereto.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the target area 24 can be filled with or constructed out of a target material 26 which is adapted to receive a dart tip as illustrated in FIG. 5 or hollow as illustrated in FIG. 18. For example, the target area 24 and at least a portion of the area under the hard cover 22 can be filled with one or more of the following materials: cork, foam, paper, rubber, fibers, bristle and plastic but the invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the target material 26 is adapted to receive metal, plastic and/or rubber tipped darts. According to another embodiment of the invention, the target material can be a fabric like material, for example, a loop and hook material, i.e., Velcro®, as illustrated in FIG. 9 or a metal or magnetic material as illustrated in FIG. 10. The loop and hook material in FIG. 9 can receive darts with flat tips covered in a similar material, while the metal or magnetic materials in FIG. 10 can receive darts with flat tips constructed out of similar materials.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the target material is held in place within the hard cover 22 by a bottom surface 30 of the raised projection 20 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The bottom surface 30 can be a closed surface or a partially open surface with a lip or tab structure connected to the hard cover 22 but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the raised projection 20 has at least one pin 28 attached to the bottom surface 30, wherein the pin 28 is arranged perpendicular to the bottom surface 30. The pin(s) 28 are used to attach and secure the raised projection 20 to the playing surface of a dart board. The pins 28 can be constructed out of plastic, metal or rubber, but the invention is not limited thereto. In an alternative embodiment, the bottom surface can be at least partially covered with a loop and hook material instead of a pin 28 for securing the raised projection 20 to a fabric dart board as illustrated in FIG. 10.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the target area 24 can have at least one obstacle 34 protruding from the surface of the target area 24 as illustrated in FIG. 11. The obstacle 34 can be constructed out of materials such as, metal, plastic, rubber but the invention is not limited thereto. The obstacle 34 acts to divert a dart tip coming toward the target area 24 making it harder to hit the target area 24.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the target area 24 is hollow as illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. In this embodiment, the raised projection 20 has a bottom surface 30 which is completely open. A plurality of pins 28 are attached to the bottom edge of the hard cover 22. In this embodiment, when the dart tip enters the hollow target area through the hole in the hard cover, the dart tip passes through the target area 24 and embeds in the playing surface of the dart board 10.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the raised projection 20 can also have lights 36 and sound emitting devices 38 embedded in the hard cover 22. A sensor 40 is placed on or under the target area 24 and detects when the target area 24 has been struck by a dart tip. The sensor 40 then activates the lights 36 and/or sound emitting device 38 whenever a dart hits the target area. The lights 36, the sound emitting device 38 and the sensor 40 are controlled by a processor located in or separate from the sensor 40 and are powered by a power source 42 located on or in the raised projection 20 but the invention is not limited thereto.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a new game piece 50 is disclosed which can be attached to known dart boards or simply attached to a support structure and used on its own. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the game piece 50 has a star shaped design with 5 arms 52 and a center section 54 but the invention is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment of the invention, each arm 52 and the center section 54 each have a target 56. According to one embodiment of the invention, the targets 56 are the raised projections 20 described above but the invention is not limited thereto. The rest of the playing surface of the game piece 50 is constructed out of a dart receiving material which comprises at least one of cork, paper, foam, rubber, metal, magnetic material, plastic, cloth, loop and hook material, bristle and/or fibers but the invention is not limited thereto. The game piece 50 can be surrounded by a metal or plastic frame 58. At least one pin 60 is attached to the frame 58 in such a manner as to be substantially perpendicular to the playing surface of the game piece 50 so as to attach the game piece 50 to the playing surface of a dart board. The pin 60 can be constructed out of metal, plastic, and/or rubber but the invention is not limited thereto. In the alternative, the bottom of the game piece 50 can be covered in a loop and hook material so that the game piece 50 can be attached to a fabric dart board. In the alternative, the bottom of the game piece 50 can have means for attaching the game piece 50 to a wall or support structure so that the game piece 50 can be used without a dart board.

According to another embodiment of the invention, many existing dart games can be modified by using the raised projection 20 and/or the game piece 50 to make the games harder or easier depending on the size of the target areas 24. For example, a raised projection 20 with a target area 24 smaller than the size of the bullseye 17 can be placed over the bullseye 17 to make it harder for a player to hit a “bullseye” as illustrated in FIG. 13. Likewise, raised projections can be placed over raised double and triple rings 14, 15 to make it harder for a player to hit a “double” or a “triple”. For example, raised projections 20 can be attached to a dart board to at least partially cover the double rings (or triple rings) for the radial sections number 16-20 (or any other group of numbers) to make the game of “Cricket” harder to play as illustrated in FIG. 14. Furthermore, a version of “Cricket” can be played using the game piece 50 described above. The game piece 50 can be attached to the playing surface of a dart board as illustrated in FIG. 15. In this embodiment, a player can be awarded 1 point for hitting the arms 52 of the game piece 50 and 3 points for hitting one of the targets 56. A player has to score 3 points to close out an arm, so a player can hit the arm 52 three times or the player can hit the target 56 once. Play continues until one player has closed out all of the arms 52 and the bullseye 54.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a three-dimensional dart board is disclosed. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the dart board 80 has a body section 82 which has a back surface 84 and a playing surface 86. The body section is comprised of a dart receiving material which is comprised of at least one of: cork, paper, foam, rubber, metal, magnetic material, plastic, cloth, loop and hook material, bristle, and/or fibers. The back surface 84 is substantially flat and has means for attaching the dart board 80 to a support structure like a wall or the inside of a cabinet. According to one embodiment or the invention, the front playing surface 86 is three dimensional with a plurality of raised targets 88. For example, the raised targets 88 can be similar to the raised projections 20 described above, but the invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the front playing surface 86 can be convex as illustrated in FIG. 16 or concave as illustrated in FIG. 17.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the dart board 80 can also have at least one light 90 and at least one sound emitting device 92 embedded in the body section 82. A sensor 94 is placed on or under the raised targets 88 and detects when a raised targets 88 has been struck by a dart tip. The sensor 94 then activates the lights 90 and/or sound emitting device 92 whenever a dart hits raised target 88. The lights 90, the sound emitting device 92 and the sensor 94 are controlled by a processor located in or separate from the sensor 94 and are powered by a power source 96 located on or in the body section 82 but the invention is not limited thereto.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirits and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

1. A raised projection to be attached to a playing surface of a dart board, comprising: a raised hard cover having a bottom surface and a top surface and sides linking the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein said top surface has at least one hole which forms a target area; attachment means on the bottom surface of the hard cover for attaching the raised projection to the playing surface of the dart board.
 2. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein said hard cover is shaped substantially similar to a hemisphere, triangle, cone, cube, cylinder, or a star.
 3. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein said hard cover is constructed out of metal, plastic and/or rubber.
 4. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the target area is hollow.
 5. The raised projection according to claim 4, wherein the bottom section is substantially open so as to allow a dart tip which enters the hole in the hard cover to hit the playing surface of the dart board.
 6. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the target area is filled with a target material.
 7. The raised projection according to claim 6, wherein said target material is comprised of at least one of cork, foam, paper, rubber, plastic, bristle, and fibers.
 8. The raised projection according to claim 6, wherein said target material is metal or a magnetic material.
 9. The raised projection according to claim 6, wherein said target material is comprised of a loop and hook material.
 10. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein said attachment means is at least one pin which extends substantially perpendicular from the bottom surface of the hard cover.
 11. The raised projection according to claim 6, wherein said target area has at least one obstacle protruding from the target material.
 12. The raised projection according to claim 11, wherein the at least one obstacle is constructed out of at least one of metal, rubber, plastic.
 13. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the sides of the hard cover are sloped.
 14. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the sides of the hard cover are substantially vertical.
 15. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hole takes up a portion of the top surface of the hard cover.
 16. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hole takes up substantially all of the top surface of the hard cover.
 17. The raised projection according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one light device in said hard cover, wherein said light device flashes on and off when a dart hits the target area.
 18. The raised projection according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one sound emitting device in said hard cover, wherein said sound emitting device emits sounds when a dart hits the target area.
 16. The raised projection according to claim 1, wherein said attachment means is loop and hook material which covers at least a portion of said bottom surface.
 20. A game piece to be used to play darts, comprising: a hard frame having a substantially star shaped design with a plurality of arms and a center area, wherein the arms and the center area are comprised of a dart receiving material; at least one target attached to each arm and center area; attachment means on said hard frame for attaching the game piece to a surface.
 21. The game piece according to claim 20, wherein the dart receiving material is comprised of at least one of cork, paper, foam, rubber, metal, magnetic material, plastic, cloth, loop and hook material, bristle, fibers.
 22. The game piece according to claim 20, wherein said target is a raised target.
 23. The game piece according to claim 22, wherein said raised target comprises: a raised hard cover having a bottom surface and a top surface and sides linking the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein said top surface has at least one hole; a target area located in said at least one hole.
 24. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein said hard cover is shaped substantially similar to a hemisphere, triangle, cube, cone, cylinder, or a star.
 25. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein said hard cover is constructed out of metal, plastic and/or rubber.
 26. The game piece according to claim 20, wherein the target area is hollow.
 27. The game piece according to claim 26, wherein the bottom section is substantially open so as to allow a dart tip which enters the hole in the hard cover to hit the playing surface of the dart board.
 28. The game piece according to claim 20, wherein the target area is filled with a target material.
 29. The game piece according to claim 28, wherein said target material is comprised of at least one of cork, foam, paper, rubber, plastic, bristle, and fibers.
 30. The game piece according to claim 28, wherein said target material is metal or a magnetic material.
 31. The game piece according to claim 28, wherein said target material is comprised of a loop and hook material.
 32. The game piece according to claim 28, wherein said target area has at least one obstacle protruding from the target material.
 33. The game piece according to claim 32, wherein the at least one obstacle is constructed out of at least one of metal, rubber, plastic.
 34. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein the sides of the hard cover are sloped.
 35. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein the sides of the hard cover are substantially vertical.
 36. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein the at least one hole takes up a portion of the top surface of the hard cover.
 37. The game piece according to claim 23, wherein the at least one hole takes up substantially all of the top surface of the hard cover.
 38. The game piece according to claim 23, further comprising: at least one light device in said hard cover, wherein said light device flashes on and off when a dart hits the target area.
 39. The game piece according to claim 23, further comprising: at least one sound emitting device in said hard cover, wherein said sound emitting device emits sounds when a dart hits the target area.
 40. A dart board, comprising: a body section which has a back surface and a front playing surface, wherein the body section is comprised of a dart receiving material; the back surface being substantially flat and having means for attaching the dart board to a support structure; the front playing surface being three-dimensional and having a plurality of targets located on the front playing surface.
 41. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the front playing surface is convex.
 42. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the front playing surface is concave.
 43. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the front playing surface has at least one raised projection.
 44. The dart board according to claim 42, wherein the at least one raised projection comprises: a raised hard cover having a bottom surface and a top surface and sides linking the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein said top surface has at least one hole; a target area located in said at least one hole.
 45. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein said hard cover is shaped substantially similar to a hemisphere, triangle, cone, cube, cylinder, or a star.
 46. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein said hard cover is constructed out of metal, plastic and/or rubber.
 47. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the target area is hollow.
 48. The dart board according to claim 47, wherein the bottom section is substantially open so as to allow a dart tip which enters the hole in the hard cover to hit the playing surface of the dart board.
 49. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the target area is filled with a target material.
 50. The dart board according to claim 49, wherein said target material is comprised of at least one of cork, foam, paper, rubber, plastic, bristle, and fibers.
 51. The dart board according to claim 49, wherein said target material is metal or a magnetic material.
 52. The dart board according to claim 49, wherein said target material is comprised of a loop and hook material.
 53. The dart board according to claim 49, wherein said target area has at least one obstacle protruding from the target material.
 54. The dart board according to claim 49, wherein the at least one obstacle is constructed out of at least one of metal, rubber, plastic.
 55. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein the sides of the hard cover are sloped.
 56. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein the sides of the hard cover are substantially vertical.
 57. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein the at least one hole takes up a portion of the top surface of the hard cover.
 58. The dart board according to claim 44, wherein the at least one hole takes up substantially all of the top surface of the hard cover.
 59. The dart board according to claim 44, further comprising: at least one light device in said hard cover, wherein said light device flashes on and off when a dart hits the target area.
 60. The dart board according to claim 44, further comprising: at least one sound emitting device in said hard cover, wherein said sound emitting device emits sounds when a dart hits the target area.
 61. The dart board according to claim 40, wherein the dart receiving material is comprised of at least one of cork, paper, foam, rubber, metal, magnetic material, plastic, cloth, loop and hook material, bristle, fibers.
 62. The dart board according to claim 40, further comprising: at least one light device on said dart board, wherein said at least one light device flashes on and off when a dart hits one of the targets.
 63. The dart board according to claim 40, further comprising: at least one sound emitting device on said dart board, wherein said at least one sound emitting device emits sounds when a dart hits one of the targets.
 64. A method for playing a game on a dart board, comprising the steps of: attaching a star shaped game piece to the playing surface of the dart board, the game piece having a plurality of arms and a center section made out of a dart receiving material, and at least one target is located on each arm and center section; alternating turns between a plurality of players, wherein each player attempts to hit each arm and center section with a dart a predetermined number of time.
 65. The method according to claim 64, wherein if a player hits the target located on each arm and the center section a single time, the player is considered as having hit that arm or center section the predetermined period of time.
 66. The method according to claim 64, wherein the predetermined number of times is
 3. 67. The method according to claim 64, wherein the targets are raised targets with small target areas. 